A Heavenly Trip on Father's Day

I couldn't wait to dangle at the small end of a hot air balloon over an African meadow without a doctor or ambulance beneath me.

What was a bar mitzvah teacher like me doing in an equatorial veldt in the middle of Kenya 3,000 miles away from a decent kosher deli?

But a dutiful father has to wave goodbye to bar mitzvah students and the comforts of home when his son needs him. My son, the salesman, had called. "Hey, Pop," he said, "I've won this great safari trip to Kenya. Courtesy of my company."

"That's wonderful," I replied. "Don't bring me back a poor, dead leopard skin coat. I'd rather have a fifth of Scotch from the duty-free shop in Nairobi."

"No, no," said the prizewinner and future CEO of his corporation. (This is a kid who could sell mezuzahs in Damascus.) "I want you to go. Jennifer's pregnant, you know, and I get to take a guest. I need you. Besides, it's June -- Father's Day is coming."

At that moment I looked up from the phone and somehow my mind printed on the den's white wall like a movie screen, in large, block letters the word "FREE???" Just like that -- with all three question marks. I didn't say a word, but this talented youth with whom I have a close, almost extra-sensory relationship said, "Sure, Pop, it's FREE."

But I had planned a busy month including a lot of naps. And the Greenberg kid, with a head full of feathers, was due up at the bar mitzvah plate in two months. Besides, I wanted to check out the June bargains at Walmart (you don't want to miss one of those $3.98 shirt specials). However, I yielded to the child's needs and a FREE safari -- like one of those fancy schmancy intercontinental bar mitzvahs I'd never been invited to -- because all my friends were poor. And that's why I was in a Kenyan meadow with a bunch of pale, white tourists and four dead balloons stretched out on the veldt, like giant stuffed kishkes they forgot to stuff.

Each balloon keeper assembled his twelve passengers around him and his dead kishke, for a brief set of do's and don'ts. Way up on the Don't list was "Don't fall out." He said this several times in several languages. "Don't look directly down" was also important. For the first time, that morning I began obsessing on the fact that I was ascending high in the air without benefit of motors or wings or a life of prayer.

So me and eleven other total idiots who were tired of living and had come 8,000 miles to die, clambered into the wicker baskets.

My mood was mixed. I'm sure that somewhere in my ancestral gene pool lurked Samsons, Maccabees, Israelite warriors, and explorers of the Negev. I couldn't wait to dangle at the small end of a hot air balloon over an African meadow without a doctor or ambulance beneath me. On the other hand, I get a little dizzy every time I step from my entry hall at home up to the raised floor of our living room.

But it was too late to flee. And where could you hide in that endless meadow. If the safari staff people didn't pull you out from under a bush, a bulimic lion would.

By now, huge fans were pumping hot air into the kishkes, which were restlessly stirring into life. Finally, they stood upright. So me and eleven other total idiots who were tired of living and had come 8,000 miles to die, clambered into the wicker baskets.

Up we went past the point of no return. I closed my eyes and hugged the fat guy next to me for the one-hour flight.

The hot air machine, manipulated by our pilot, made a terrible racket. And belched a torrent of invisible hot gas. You'd be intensely studying that herd of wildebeests beneath you wondering whether wildebeest chops were kosher -- whether they would be best with A-1 or catsup -- when he'd activate the noisemaker from hell and your teeth would rattle. I squeezed my soft security blanket even harder. Here, halfway to heaven, me and my pudgy pal held an ecumenical prayer service. I did three quick Shema's. He did something that began, "Hail Mary. . . . ," which must have been relaxing because he quit shaking.

Besides making sudden noises, our pilot loved to suddenly shoot up to 1000-1500 feet levels; from which height you couldn't tell a rhino from a gray Ford Explorer with a massive ivory hood ornament.

For an hour we cruised over the savannahs of Africa -- then thankfully our basket passionately kissed the ground. We climbed out in a flash and did the same. I said Shema again -- then jumped in the line to go up again.

I live in rural Montana where the Cholov Yisrael milk is difficult to obtain and very expensive. So I drink regular milk. What is your view on this?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Jewish law requires that there be rabbinic supervision during the milking process to ensure that the milk comes from a kosher animal. In the United States, many people rely on the Department of Agriculture's regulations and controls as sufficiently stringent to fulfill the rabbinic requirement for supervision.

Most of the major Kashrut organizations in the United States rely on this as well. You will therefore find many kosher products in America certified with a 'D' next to the kosher symbol. Such products – unless otherwise specified on the label – are not Cholov Yisrael and are assumed kosher based on the DOA's guarantee.

There are many, however, do not rely on this, and will eat only dairy products that are designated as Cholov Yisrael (literally, "Jewish milk"). This is particularly true in large Jewish communities, where Cholov Yisrael is widely available.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote that under limited conditions, such as an institution which consumes a lot of milk and Cholov Yisrael is generally unavailable or especially expensive, American milk is acceptable, as the government supervision is adequate to prevent non-kosher ingredients from being added.

It should be added that the above only applies to milk itself, which is marketed as pure cow's milk. All other dairy products, such as cheeses and butter, may contain non-kosher ingredients and always require kosher certification. In addition, Rabbi Feinstein's ruling applies only in the United States, where government regulations are considered reliable. In other parts of the world, including Europe, Cholov Yisrael is a requirement.

There are additional esoteric reasons for being stringent regarding Cholov Yisrael, and because of this it is generally advisable to consume only Cholov Yisroel dairy foods.

In 1889, 800 Jews arrived in Buenos Aires, marking the birth of the modern Jewish community in Argentina. These immigrants were fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia, and moved to Argentina because of its open door policy of immigration. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina. Juan Peron's rise to power in 1946 was an ominous sign, as he was a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings. Peron halted Jewish immigration to Argentina, introduced mandatory Catholic religious instruction in public schools, and allowed Argentina to become a haven for fleeing Nazis. (In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from a Buenos Aires suburb.) Today, Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America with 250,000, though terror attacks have prompted many young people to emigrate. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 32 people. In 1994, the Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 85 people. The perpetrators have never been apprehended.

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness.

If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a specific enthusiastic individual, running, taking a walk in a quiet area, looking at pictures of family, listening to music, or reading inspiring words.

While our attitude is a major factor in sadness, lack of positive external situations and events play an important role in how we feel.

[If a criminal has been executed by hanging] his body may not remain suspended overnight ... because it is an insult to God (Deuteronomy 21:23).

Rashi explains that since man was created in the image of God, anything that disparages man is disparaging God as well.

Chilul Hashem, bringing disgrace to the Divine Name, is one of the greatest sins in the Torah. The opposite of chilul Hashem is kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Divine Name. While this topic has several dimensions to it, there is a living kiddush Hashem which occurs when a Jew behaves in a manner that merits the respect and admiration of other people, who thereby respect the Torah of Israel.

What is chilul Hashem? One Talmudic author stated, "It is when I buy meat from the butcher and delay paying him" (Yoma 86a). To cause someone to say that a Torah scholar is anything less than scrupulous in meeting his obligations is to cause people to lose respect for the Torah.

Suppose someone offers us a business deal of questionable legality. Is the personal gain worth the possible dishonor that we bring not only upon ourselves, but on our nation? If our personal reputation is ours to handle in whatever way we please, shouldn't we handle the reputation of our nation and the God we represent with maximum care?

Jews have given so much, even their lives, for kiddush Hashem. Can we not forego a few dollars to avoid chilul Hashem?

Today I shall...

be scrupulous in all my transactions and relationships to avoid the possibility of bringing dishonor to my God and people.

With stories and insights,
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